Light diffusing glass



Feb. 8, 19,38. H. PAUL LIGHT DIFFUSINCTY GLAss iled Aug. '26, 1935 y H9171? fau] Patented Faas, 193s UNITED STATES The invention forming the subject matter of this application relates to panels of sheet material. which may be opaque or transparent, having'r one face plane j and the other face shaped to provide reflecting surfaces formed by a series of interlockingv pyramids whose plane faces are arranged at right angles to each other. The main object of the invention is to provide 'a panel of v-this character in which the total reflecting properties of rectangular prisms are used to secure the maximum dispersion of any source of light incident upon the broken surface of an opaque reflecting panel, or passing through a transparent panel from the piane to the broken Algsurface. In other'words, this invention is designed-for use in theform of panels to obtain maxix'num-reflection of rays oflight incident upon vthe broken surface when the panel isopaque; and, to obtain maximum diffusion of transmitted 4light'` from rays incident upon the plane surface f 'a transparent panel.

Other objects will become apparent as the detailed description of the invention proceeds. n In the drawing: Figure lis va plan of one form of the invention; Figure 2 is aI section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1:

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1;.v

v Figure 4 is a plan ofv another form of the invention;

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 6-5 of Figure 4; and r Figure 6 is a section taken on the line 6 -6 of 35 Figure 4.

.Referring to the drawing, in which similar parts are designated by like numerals:

In both forms of the invention the broken surf faces of thevpanel have the appearance of being formed by the superposition of similar cubes upon each other; and the differences in the appearance of these two forms is due to differences in relative f position of thesuperposed cubes.'. The.fom of the invention illustrated in Figures-t1,r 2, and 3 shows a ,series of rowsl of cubes-in which al1 the cubes of each row have their' diagonals lying in thesame plane; anzi/in which the diagonal of each cube penetrates thefupper surface of the vcube immediately below it at the center of said k surface. For example, consider the cube i in the row designated generally by the reference character 2: It will be apparent that the diagonal a b of the cube I penetrates the square surface 3 of the cube'l exactly atthe center of the said face 3. 'Similarly the diagonal c d of the cube 4 reilecting` or light diffusing surface is formed on penetrates the square face 4."i of the lower cube 8 exactly at the center of the said' face 5.

The same arrangement of superposed -cubes occurs in vthe rows 1, 8, and all succeeding rows, depending, of course, upon the size of the panel. 5 In order to increase the number of light reflecting or light diffusing pyramids, a series of smaller cubes is interposed between-adjacent rows of the larger cubes. For example, between the rows 2 and 1 of the larger cubes there is interposed a 10 row 9 of smaller cubes. Each of the smaller cubes has each of its sides exactly one-half the length of each side of the larger cubes; and has one of its edges aligned with the line of intersection of the two larger cubes immediately below it and in 15 adjacent rows. It will be'apparent from Figure 1 of thel drawing that the diagonals of all the small cubes in the row 9 lie in the same plane, which is alsothe plane occupied by the intersecting edges of the larger cubes in the adjacent rows-2 'and l. l20

The form of the invention illustrated in Figures 4, 5, and 6 has a different arrangement of the large and smalll cubes. It will beapparent from Figure 4 of the drawing that the cubes in each row are staggered with respectto eachother. 25 For example, in the row designatedby the reference character i3 in Figure 4, the cube Il has its edge i5-i6 in alignment with the edge iG-Ii of cube I8 in row Il' and at right angles to the 'line I6.-i9 of the cube 20 in row 2|. In the solid- 30 angle formed between the adjacent faces of cubes I8 and 20, there is located the small cube 22, each side of which is one-half the length of each side of the adjacent larger cubes. l

In the second form of the invention it will be 35 ,apparent that largeand small cubes occur in alternation and that the diagonals of the large and small cubes in each row lie in the same plane. It is evident that the rows of cubes in thisfform of the invention are exactly alike; whereas in the 40 form of the invention shown in Figure 1 alternate rows only of large and small cubes are similar.

' In each form of the invention, the broken light l a base 23 which may have a thickness depending 45 upon the 'uses to which the invention is to be 'put.

' Where the device is intended for .light reflecting purposes'only, itc'an be made of any suitable opaque material, such as sheet'metal, whichmay 50' be coated with a light reflecting'surface such, for

. instance, as silver or the like.- Where the device is intended for light diffusion purposes it can be made'by casting glass in a suitable mold, or by rolling plastic glass between a plane Vsurface' and 55 a lroller shaped to form the inter-penetrating cubes of the broken surface.

Numerous variations may doubtless be devised by persons skilled in the. art without departing from the principles'of my invention. I, therefore, desire no limitations to be imposed on my invention, except such as are indicated in the v appended claims.

What I claim is: 1. A light diffusing glass panel having one side fiat and the other side shaped to form parallelv contacting unbroken rows of interpenetrating .right trihedral convex reflectors' of similar dimensions, one edge of each reflector intersecting the center of one face of the adjacent reflector in the same row, all of such edges in each row lying in a plane perpendicular to said side, the intersecting surfaces between adjacent rows of convex reflectors forming a continuous unbroken rowoi concave right trihedral reiiectors, and a row of smaller convextrihedral reectcrs located in the angles formed by the intersecting faces of the said concave reectors, one edge of each of the smaller trihedral reectors being a continuation plane parallel to said flat side, the intersecting surfaces between adjacent rows of convex reflectors forming a continuous unbroken row of concave right trihedral reflectors which have their apexes in a plane also parallel to said side, and a' row of smaller convex trihedral reflectors located 'in the angles formed by the intersecting faces of said concave reectors, said smaller. convex reectors having their apexes lying in a plane parallel to and between the planes -parallel to said side.

HENRI PAUL. 

